If the NBA had a real boom in the 80s, it was particularly driven by the rivalry between Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson. First opposed at the university, the two players landed in the NBA for the 1979-80 season. Bird joined the Boston Celtics while Eavin was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. Both would make the entirety of their career in a single franchise, and their personal rivalry would extend to that of the two teams. The West Coast versus the East Coast.